Poroshenko calls on Erdogan to facilitate the release of Ukrainian political prisoners held in Russia

Wednesday, June 13, 2018 3:00:00 PM

During the visit to Turkey, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to facilitate the release of Ukrainian political prisoners who are detained in Russia, the President’s press-service reports. The two leaders discussed relevant issues of bilateral cooperation and international agenda.

Poroshenko thanked Erdoğan for his ongoing support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and for the protection of the rights of Crimean Tatars.

The Presidents suggested continuing intensive political dialogue at the highest level, suggesting their next meeting be part of the High-Level Ukrainian-Turkish Strategic Council. Additionally, they discussed specifics of the trilateral summit, which will be held in the Ukraine-Turkey-Azerbaijan format.

Poroshenko and Erdoğan addressed the importance of completing free trade arrangement negotiations between their two countries.

The Representative of the President of Ukraine for the Crimean Tatar People, Mustafa Dzhemilev, stated that he does not rule out the possibility of the release of Ukrainian political prisoners in the Russian Federation (Oleg Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko) with Turkey’s assistance.